Quinquennial Inspection Reports 

 A Quinquennial Inspection is a condition survey of your building which should be undertaken every five years by a suitably qualified architect or surveyor. Following the survey your inspector will produce a report summarising the overall condition of your building and its specific elements, as well as giving recommendations as to necessary maintenance and repairs works, and their associated timescales and estimated costs.

Quinquennial Inspections enable building manager to:

• Identify, plan for and undertake the maintenance and repair works essential to keeping their building in good condition
  • Staving off the natural deterioration which all buildings undergo helps avoid accelerated decay caused by unaddressed minor issues which can lead to large and/or complex repair and replacement works - as well as the bills that come with them! 
• Access funding for maintenance and repair works
  • Many funding bodies, in particular those which allocate public monies, require an up-to-date Quinquennial Inspection report untaken by a conservation accredited professional to be submitted in conjunction with an application for grant-funding.
• Identify opportunities to increase energy efficiency
  • In addition to highlighting areas in which energy efficiency measures could be taken, such as installing LEDs or insulation (where appropriate!), your Quinquennial Inspection will also identify lots of the most common causes of heat loss, such as leaking gutters and slipped roof tiles.
• Ensure the building is safe and accessible
  • Quinquennial Inspections will identify both health and safety and accessibility actions, as well as giving an indication of their priority; however, this is no substitute for an Accessibility Audit which we recommend all churches undertake as a matter of priority.
• Take a holistic view to adaptation and alteration works, ensuring they won't be compromised by unaddressed defects and will stand the test of time
  • There's no point spending £1000s on redecorating when the water's still coming in! Ensuring there are no underlying (and potentially hidden!) defects which might undermine refurbishment, safeguards your investment.
  • A QI report can also help you lump both repair and renovation works into one project, meaning contractors are on site for the minimum time possible, costs can be managed more effectively and disruption to church activities can be minimized.

Further information

Read and download our Quinquennial Inspection Guideline Leaflet explaining what is needed and how to find a suitable architect or building surveyor. A directory of registers listing suitable professionals can found on our Conservation Practitioners page.
 
Actioning the works  recommended by your inspection and creating a maintenance plan is important, especially for listed buildings - find out more on our Maintenance and Repair pages.